Wolves have played their first match of the 2025/26 calendar, losing 2-1 in a training game against CD Santa Clara.
In a match behind closed doors that consisted of 35-minute halves, Wolves fell short to the Portuguese side.
Vitor Pereira has his squad working hard in the Algarve in preparation for the Premier League season, which kicks off on August 16th with Wolves hosting Manchester City.
Pre-season will be a learning curve for Pereira, who has the chance to assess his squad away from competitive action for the first time, starting against Santa Clara.
Vitor Pereira hints at Wolves captaincy decision
There are plenty of talking points from the fixture, with the most prominent being Sasa Kalajdzic’s goal.
The Austrian will be delighted after having so much of his career derailed by injury, but the striker isn’t the only subject of discussion.
As per Wolves’ official website, it was revealed who Pereira opted to captain the two squads that played in either half.
In the first half, Toti Gomes wore the armband, surprisingly ahead of the likes of Emmanuel Agbadou and Joao Gomes.
Then, in the second half, when the squad was rotated, it was Matt Doherty who took the armband.
Wolves fans have discussed who they’d like to be captain, with the candidates being Toti, Agbadou and Gomes.
Pereira’s decision might soon be made, as Toti and Doherty were selected as the leaders against Santa Clara amid Nelson Semedo’s absence.
Semedo has yet to decide on his future after becoming a free agent, leaving Wolves’ captaincy role vacant for now.
Who played in Wolves’ friendly against Santa Clara?
Aside from the captain decision that Pereira made, there were other points of interest from the match.
Below are the two squads that played during the fixture, where an array of talent was on show, including new signing Fer Lopez and some academy stars.
- First half squad: Bentley, Hoever, Pond, Agbadou, Toti, Lima, Andre, J Gomes, Guedes, Chirewa, Kalajdzic
- Second half squad: King, Mane, Pond, S Bueno, Doherty, Lopes, Bellegarde, Munetsi, Hwang, Lopez, Strand Larsen
Returning loanee Ki-Jana Hoever featured, as did academy hopefuls Alfie Pond, Mateus Mane, Tawanda Chirewa and Leo Lopes.
The first official pre-season fixture is set to take place on July 26th, as the Old Gold play Stoke City.